A Criminal Mystery

Police, Public Must Work Together To Find Molester

January 28, 1997

Next to the so-called Parkway Murders, the most enduring criminal mystery on the Peninsula is: Who is attacking girls in the East End of Newport News? One or more attackers remain at large in 21 cases over five years to December 1995.

The question is back in the news because of a crime committed last week. An 11-year-old girl was grabbed by a stranger after she got off a school bus at 28th Street and Madison Avenue. The girl did what many experts now advise: She screamed, and the attacker ran off.

It's encouraging that police were able to arrest quickly a suspect who lives on Madison Avenue. We hope he's the right man. But the thought of a breakthrough was quickly doused when a police spokesman ruled out any connection between this suspect and the previous attacks.

Thus the public was given a sobering reminder that the series of crimes - two-thirds of which were sexual assaults - may have faded from the headlines but has not been solved.

Descriptions of the attacker vary too much to be of much use to the public, but common sense suggests at least some of the attacks are linked because of their similarities.

That these crimes haven't been solved in not necessarily a reflection on city police, who have sought the assistance of the FBI. The attackers come and go under cover of darkness; the victims are too frightened to remember much. Residents of East End should consider anew the possibility that someone in their midst is a molester. One good tip could help police crack the case; better that be the break than another attack. Call 247-2500 if you think you can help solve this mystery.